Songs About Crying

History of

Lyrics

Shivers and Shakes is one of the older tracks, one of the ones that predates The Cube.  Scarfo was just getting back to piano, and saw an opportunity.  Writing in B flat and D minor has always seemed to him to have a special sound – something about D minor just seems a little sadder than the other minor keys.  This isn’t something that had been previously explored as this is not a key that is particularly conducive to guitar.  It isn’t impossible, it’s just uncomfortable with a lot of bar chords and we can be lazy from time to time.

Lyrically, at this point in Fighting Whiskey history, Scarfo and Boyne were toying with different approaches to writing, and this is one that fell into a particular category.  The idea was to have one of the two tell the other a story or what they wanted the feeling to be about, and the other would write the lyrics based on that.  In this case, Scarfo presented an idea to Boyne and Boyne did the writing.  The reverse of this was done on “Touching Stoves” from Dandelions, wherein Scarfo wrote lyrics to something Boyne expressed.

We wanted this to be the first song released from Songs About Crying in that it is pretty thematically indicative of the rest of the record to come.  Sound, tone, different keys, slower – this song has a little bit of all of that. 

All of this year I’ve been trying. I know it’s all about timing. Someone like you -You’re the storm that I drive through.

I never wanna feel that way again. Push away and try to stand. Just breaking down over and over again.

All of this year I’ve been trying. I know it’s all about timing. Someone like you -You’re the storm. So I don’t move to hold on too.

Space to breathe, place to keep myself from seeing something I can’t treat. I believe what I need might fall away the only light I see.

Been a long time coming, been a long time lost. Been a long time since I’ve been rational. It’s only a chance I have to take. This broken down man who shivers and shakes. Can’t take it back no matter what I say, I don’t make mistakes.

All of this year I’ve been trying. I know it’s all about timing. Someone like you – You’re the storm that I drive through.

History of

Lyrics

Inspired by the “Milton’s Incident”, Run is a song about bullying.  For those unaware, last year, the city where we are from, Kitchener, Ontario, became internet famous for a few days.  And as you can imagine, when someone or somewhere becomes internet famous for a few days, it isn’t for positive reasons.  A video surfaced of an autistic gentleman being physically and verbally abused by bar owners in the city.

By far the heaviest most ‘rock’ song on Songs About Crying, at its heart, Run is about bullies.  Even though there are distorted guitars, we felt that the slower pace and the themes of the song made it fit here.  

The three verses look at different aspects of bullying.  The first, is the traditional type of bullying that older generations faced.  The second verse looks at how the cyber world has now given bullies the opportunity to attack their prey even when they aren’t in the same room.  Lastly, the third verse looks at the way that some people now use the term ‘bully’ to actually bully others.  Needless to say, this is where some of the NSFW language comes in as it is incredibly infuriating.

Shove you in a locker, hold your head under water. Push you around ’cause they can

Take your things of value, don’t even allow you to try to be a man

It kills that no one sees you, but you’d die if someone saw you, reaching out a hand

You gotta run, You gotta run away, You gotta run, Make it go away

They’ve got their excuses, it’s just a cycle they’re in. But, some people are rotten pricks, standing tall on your neck

Now they’ve raised the bar, getting to you from afar, hurt you when you’re on your own

They won’t let you feel safe, reach you from another place, even when you’re all alone

Cause now they’ve sunk their teeth in, no room for you to breathe in, got you like a dog with a bone

You can’t run, you can’t run away, you can’t run, make it go away

They’ve got their excuses, it’s just a cycle they’re in. But, some people are rotten pricks, standing tall on your neck

They say it’s very righteous, they’re trying to delight us, ’cause you’re the bully after all

And whether you were wrong hasn’t mattered all along, they just want you to feel small

Life’s a fucking shitshow, what the fuck do they know? Like they’ve never dropped the fucking ball …

History of

Lyrics

Simply put, this is a song about disillusionment. It looks at a moment when a person realizes
that someone or something else isn’t what they initially appeared to be. The main line, “Now I see it/The ugliness in you” is something that Scarfo scribbled down on a notepad in a hotel room years ago. As the disillusionment grew across the last two years, the song started to come together as a whole.

A brand new chance, I played my part
I took it way back when I took a chance with you
Now I see you
It happened all over again, I drank it up

All your kind words, meaningless sounds
The makeup is running from the corner of your eyes

(Know) I mean it when I say, I can see it, the ugliness in you

Who’s to blame, don’t call my name
I won’t call back, losing track
Of your lies, I’m fuckin trying

All your kind words, meaningless sounds
Makeup is running from the corner of your eyes

(Know) I mean it when I say, I can see it, the ugliness in you

Thought long and hard at 3am. I’m so tired, I’m still wired
When the light is just right, I see you and beauty fades
Over now over and out

All your kind words meaningless sounds

(Know) I mean it when I say, I can see it, the ugliness in you

History of

Lyrics

Lyrically, this is a pretty straightforward song.  It really was just something that I was feeling in the moment.  Overall, the structure came together pretty quickly, but the real difference came when Boyne started to sing it.  I’m not sure if it was something he heard in the way that it was written, but his vocals came out with a real country twang.  After that was established, he added the backward guitars that sound kind of slidey and we were well on our way.

Lately I’ve been singing a lot about rage. Maybe I need to calm the fuck down. Blowing off steam and trying to turn the page. I don’t think anyone hears the sound

It don’t matter that my welcome is overstayed. It don’t matter that I’m brutally underpaid. It don’t matter that the end is on the way. It don’t’ matter, it don’t matter anyhow

Getting old, feeling cold. I’m not twenty anymore.

Lately I’ve been dreaming a lot about fear. Starting to think I’m in too deep. Trying to get my mind out of here. All I want is to get some sleep.

It don’t matter that my welcome is overstayed. It don’t matter that I’m brutally underpaid. It don’t matter that the end is on the way. It don’t’ matter, it don’t matter anyhow.

Aches and pains, different gains. Broken down to my core.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about sinking. My feet need to find the ground. I really hope it’s not the drinking. I don’t wanna put the bottle down.

History of

Lyrics

This is the very first Fighting Whiskey song, even pre-dating “Old Gil”. I had hammered out some lines on a piano and found myself stuck – after nearly 10 years of writing for The Dexter Holmes Story, I was suddenly in the position wherein lyrics weren’t tied to a story. Stepping out of that box was a little scary – I didn’t know what to write about. When forced out of that box, I got to thinking about life in general and how things end for all of us. 3 of my 4 grandparents passed away from some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s, and so I thought I would dive into that. Digging around on what it feels like to see that happen to someone that you love and the overreaching fear that it is an inevitable fate for me as well *shakes fists at genetics* …

Your face does a great impression of you, long gone is the you that I knew.

I’ve heard that question before, you’ve asked it seven times or more

Pretending it’s new is the least that I can do – after all, I owe that much to you

Playing to your new reality, hoping someday, someone will do the same for me

I’ve heard that question before, you’ve asked it seven times or more

Pretending it’s new is the least that I can do – after all, I owe that much to you

Chances are I end up in your place with the emptiness behind my face

You’ve heard that question before, I’ve asked it seven times or more

Pretending it’s new is all I ask of you.  It’s all, all I ask of you

History of

Lyrics

Shortly after the release of Dandelions and Failure, as a fun exercise, we sat down and recorded a live version of Old Gil, fully acoustic.  In doing so, the song changed quite a bit – it was slowed down, there was a short guitar solo added and it had a completely different vibe to it.  Based on the positive feedback we got from the live version (see it here), we decided to do a studio version as well.  The remarkable thing that came from this is that it was a one night effort – the whole thing, from first note to final mix happened all in one night.  Sometimes, things just land properly the first time.

Coming out, nothing’s bringing me down. Today is my day the winds of change, they blow my way. I know I have figured it out. Old ways gonna change, I’m feeling great, I see it now

Old Gil, he will

I’ll show them, make ’em so proud. Don’t know what to do, but Lord, I’m due, I always knew.

Old Gil, he will

I’ve played all my cards and I’m out. Wrote cheques that can’t be cashed, they’ll kick my ass if they find out. Don’t have any other reason to cry, today is my day, there isn’t any other way.

Old Gil, he will

History of

Lyrics

The intention here was not to make some sort of political statement.  Rather, regarding the whole vaccination semi-controversy, I wanted to reflect on how I feel now as a middle aged man versus how I feel I would have reacted in a similar situation when I was still an angry young man.  I imagined a conversation between the two versions of ‘me’ and that’s what this is about.  I can’t stress strongly enough that this is not myself or Fighting Whiskey trying to make a statement, simply a reflection on my own life.

What would I say then if I could see me now? “Shill, pet”

What would I do then if I could see me now? Rage, drink.

There’s a beauty in having a sense of duty, try giving a shit

It’s not about you, It’s not about you

What do I say now looking back upon me then? “Dick, prick”

What would I say now if I could talk to myself then? “Change, breathe”

Standing your ground is a sure way to drown, try giving a shit

It’s not about him, It’s not about me

History of

Lyrics

This is another early song for us, predated on this album only by Impression of You.  Scarfo aimed to write a simple piano riff to give Boyne the room to do what he wanted to vocally – it clicked almost immediately.  As we were still finding our writing style and our groove in terms of working together, this song became a little meta and was a self criticism of some of the easy shortcuts to take, “He can’t cheat that/he can’t repeat that/Just to save himself a line.”  This also became a tongue in cheek rallying cry for the type of song that ended up on this record, just us ‘writing songs about crying’.

He sees the world is broken, cracked on its side and open and so he writes songs about crying

He’ll have to write forever to get it all together since the all the words are plagiarized

His inspiration is not his best, at least he knows he has to try

He needs one right to feel what’s left, one reason not to have to cry

Once it was easy to be free and breezy- it sure was easier than trying

He should see that, he could feel that, he should just put in the time

It’s getting harder and harder to add things up, his part he knows is hitting a wall

We’re all alone in a big dark world

It isn’t easy to be free and breezy and so he writes songs about crying

He can’t cheat that, he can’t repeat that just to save himself a line

He sees the world is broken, cracked on its side and open and so he writes songs about crying

He sees the world is broken, cracked on its side and open and so he writes songs about crying

He sees the world is broken